The Singing Spirit: A Sequel
by BountyHunterGirl134
Summary: Sequel to 'Black Heart, Black Soul'. In-Progress. Ancient history repeats itself as Madison's life slowly slips away, and the remaining Rangers must make a final stand, one last mission, to save the very soul of the lost one, or watch the Blue Ranger slip into oblivion forevermore.
1. Chapter 1

**The Singing Spirit**

**YAY ^U^ After several, **_**several**_** months, much brooding, and a computer wipeout -_- I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE SEQUEL TO 'BLACK HEART, BLACK SOUL'! :) Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

**(PS- Make sure to read the A/N at the bottom! Thanks!)**

Nick leaned against the wall, arms crossed and face expressionless as he watched Leanbow lean around Vida to finish his check-up of the girl lying on the bed. His father's face was stony, though it normally held that expression now.

Two months. Two months since the invasion of Earth from the underworld. Two months since the unitement of human and creature. Two months since the ultimate defeat of the Master. And two months since the loss of Maddie.

For two whole months, Madison had lay on that bed in her coma-like state, never waking, never blinking or twitching, nothing. If he had not know any better, Nick might have thought she was dead. Sometimes he wondered if she really was and they were all fooling themselves keeping her here, constantly watching her, checking her, making sure her body was still holding on.

_No. _He mentally shook himself. He couldn't let himself think like that.

Vida sniffled at Madison's bedside, squeezing her sister's hand. Nick's eyes flashed to her, watching her red-rimmed eyes and quiet, slow breaths. He looked away.

The whole team had changed innevitably and irrevocably since _that_ day. Madison's presence had seemed so tiny, so unimportant then. Now it was as if the whole world had lost its beauty without that one special person to light it all up. Nick recalled the first time he had had to leave Rootcore to find special herbs for Udonna, and he had stumbled upon the small river that ran through the middle of the forest; it had completely dried up, leaving scarce puddles and dead fish in the embedment, and all the trees within a half a mile's radius had dried up and passed away, leaves hanging limp on black branches. It was as if the forest could sense its loss, and, frankly, Nick wouldn't have been suprised if it really had.

Vida, not too unlike her sister, had fallen into a sort of sleepy, slow, coma-like state: something of a depression. Nick had never once seen her leave Rootcore; she had barely left the bedside. She was not the vibrant, energetic, hot-tempered and sharp-tongued girl she had once been. The pink streaks in her hair had long ago faded, and her plain black hair- it could only be described as _blank_. She cried most days, leaving her eyes seemingly forever blood-shot. She also seemed afraid to blink, as if her sister would just vanish into thin air if she diverted her gaze. Her presence seemed to fade into the background; her irrevelant fear of leaving her sister alone for more than a few minutes left her somewhat unable to help the others in their research to try and help Madison from her current state. She barely ate or slept, and when she did it was only by Chip's unwavering insistance.

Chip. It seemed like Chip had become the rock that they all seemed to be relying on. His cheeriness, his happiness, his joy all seemed to have slightly faded, replaced by a more urgent need to keep going. He was a great leader, there was no doubt about it. Every day he tried his hardest to encourage the team, riffling through book after book with Nick and Xander, creating potion after potion with Udonna, extensive magical research in other dimentions with Leanbow and Daggeron, but nothing yet had been found. And yet, even with his schedule so tight, Chip had always found a few minutes in his day, every day for the past two months, to come into Maddie's room and sit a while with her. He wouldn't say anything, and neither would anyone else who resided there at the time; he simply sat, watching her with gentle eyes, and in those moments of vunerability, if you looked closely enough, you could see the shadows in his eyes, haunting his soul and eating away at his resolve. It was always a different amount of time he sat there, from ten minutes to a couple of hours, but near the end of his time he would always sigh, then bend over and softly kiss her forehead before striding out to continue his work. He never explained why he did this, and no one ever asked.

With Xander... he wasn't even _Xander _anymore, like he had been replaced by a monotonous clone that was the complete opposite of their Xander. As far as Nick knew, Xander had barely passed by a mirror in the last two months, much less stopped to even glance into one; his always messy hair seemed to concur with that. His bright emerald eyes had dulled to a darker, lifeless green, not unlike the slowly dying trees outside Rootcore; they seemed to reciprocate Xander's hopeless feelings. By far, Xander seemed the most tense, the most angry and lost, as if he were standing on the edge and one touch, just one _poke _would put him over. He had already lost control once. In a far corner of the room was a large pile of broken glass and plastic; a month after Madison had fallen into her limbo-like coma, in a sudden moment, it was like he had lost all hope for anything, and in his anger, he had broken every single handheld mirror he possessed, screaming and crying throwing every single one down in unbridled anger before Chip had finally stopped him, taking him away to bandage his cut and bloody hands as his anger faded to be replaced by body-wracking sobs. Now, every time he needed to let out his built up emotions- _fear, sadness, anger, frustration, guilt, loss_- he would leave Rootcore, letting go of his emotion deep in the forest, where even distantly they could hear him screaming release. And then, every time he came back, he would bring one red rose (no matter how scarce they seemed, he somehow always managed to find one) and he would place it in a small, pale blue vase next to her bedside. Then he would mumble something that sounded heart-breakingly like an apology before leaving the room, searching for Chip to help him bandage his bruising, scarred hands.

The others seemed to be in suspended states of shock. Claire wasn't the clutsy apprentice, now sorceress, Nick reminded himself, that she was before the final battle. She did what the others asked of her without complaints or excuses; she barely spoke at all anymore in fact, doing her jobs and errands silently, as if she had forgotten how to use her voice. None of them had realised how close Madison and Claire had been behind the scenes. Jenji's ears always pointed down and his tail always dragged behind him limply when he walked. He wasn't as furvent about magic as he had used to be, and sometimes his magic didn't respond correctly, like turning _Old-Fashioned Magic of the 1800's_ into ash by accident because he had been trying to return it to the shelf with his magic. Sometimes he refused to even exit his lamp; he spent most of his time in his lamp, brooding. Sometimes, if they listened carefully enough, they could hear light sniffling coming from the spout of the lamp. Phineas barely came around after the battle. At first, he came every day, attempting to help the Rangers on their mission, maybe reading a few books or collecting special ingredients for Udonna, but soon the half-goblin couldn't take the sad silences and tense moments anymore, starting to come less and less until he completely vanished for a full week. They heard he was now dating Leelee and had taken up a job at the Rock Porium three weeks ago; he had not been around since. Fire Heart scaled the forest every day, tail dragging like a bulldozer across the fading grass and head low, returning late every night to sleep on the ground outside Madison's window, cooing affectionately to her unresponsive form.

Udonna, Daggeron, and Leanbow were quite good at keeping their emotions in check around the , working and researching with stony faces, but it wasn't as if they never had their share of miserable moments as well. Every once in a while Daggeron might rub his eyes with one hand, squeezing the bridge of his nose as if he were holding back long awaited tears, and just the other night Nick had heard Udonna softly sobbing as he walked past her's and his father's room; he had walked on, a sick pit in his stomach.

And Nick... Nick seemed to be all of that and worse. He had lost a few pounds neglecting to eat, almost every second of his time spent with his face nearly glued to Rootcore's books or trying spell after spell after spell. He was constantly frustrated, sad, angry, confused, resentful, guilty, and he practically hated himself for feeling so darn _useless_. He slept even less than Vida, possibly an hour or two every night before stress and worry would wake him up in the early morning and he would return to researching; dark bags were basically etched into his face. Every sleep had the same dream, the same horrible, awful _nightmare _of the final battle. Watching Maddie's evil form fight them, feeling her sweet, chocolate brown eyes bore into his as she poised to kill him, listening to her scream as she attacked herself for the good of the earth, red and black liquids seeping over the pavement while the Master alternated laughing and screaming in the background, and so he worked and worked, losing himself in the distractions, desperate to escape the memories, the constant reminders of that day. Chip and the adults had asked him over and over to relax, even for a moment, and even Xander had attempted to help the Ranger leader, but they had all, exasperatedly, given up after a time, leaving him to his devices. He normally stayed close to Madison's room, glancing over at her, watching her still form, sitting next to her with his head in his hands, keeping the potential torrent from flooding out of his eyes, trying to keep his grip on_ what _they were doing and _why_. They needed her. _He _needed her.

Without Maddie, they were just so... so... so _lost_. And no map to lead the way back home.

Nick snapped out of his reverie as Leanbow pulled away from Madison with a sigh, turning for the door. He met Nick's eyes and twitched his head toward the hallway; Nick nodded, and with a last glance at Madison and Vida, he stepped out, following his father a little ways from the room before halting. Leanbow turned to face his son.

"How is she?" Nick asked quietly. "Any change?"

"Nothing," Leanbow said gravely. "Her body is just as empty as it was two months ago."

Nick muttered something undistinct yet unstandably angry under his breath.

"This isn't good, Nick, not good at all," Leanbow said. "A body can't live without it's host for too long. If this goes on much longer, if we are unable to find a solution-"

"We will find a solution," Nick stated flatly, eyes cold.

"But if we cannot," Leanbow went on, "then the body will slowly start to die, and eventually she will undoubtably pass."

For a long moment there was only silence.

"We _will _get her back," said Nick, "no matter what it takes."

Leanbow sighed. "My son," he said, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder, "I understand your pain, your anger, your willingness to have Madison back with you, all of you," he gave Nick's shoulder a comforting squeeze, "but you have to face the facts, Nick. For two months we've been searching, every book, every spell, potion after potion- Daggeron and I even transported to the Gyrek dimension for help, over two thousand miles from this world!- and we still have found nothing. The truth is, son, we may never."

"Don't say that," said Nick coldly, almost warningly, pulling away from his father roughly. "Don't you _dare_ say that."

Leanbow sighed again. "Nick-"

"No," said Nick. "I won't listen."

"Please, son, you must realize-"

"NO!" Nick nearly shouted, eyes narrowed, settling for a loud whisper instead, something hopefully Vida couldn't hear. "She's not going to die! I won't let it happen, and if I have to fix this myself- don't think I won't!"

"You are determined, Nick," said Leanbow in a hard voice, "but you are letting your emotions get in the way of your judgement, of the truth!"

"It's not the truth! We've beaten evil villains, spells gone wrong, even the Master of all darkness! We will not lose this, and I refuse to accept it!"

"But you have never faced the impossible, Bowen," argued Leanbow, who had returned to his son's birth name absent-mindedly, "and this very well may be impossible!"

"So you're giving up then?" Nick half-shouted, His body was shaking.

"That isn't what I said, son!" Leanbow said, his own eyes narrowed. "I am simply stating the most likely possibility! I'm accepting what may be the only option! There may be no other choice!"

"There's always another option, and there's always another choice!" Nick nearly screamed.

"I'm afraid that isn't true, Bowen, and you know it," Leanbow stated almost coldly.

"Just because you don't care about her-!" Nick nearly screamed.

"ENOUGH!" Leanbow said firmly, cutting Nick off. Anger was written plainly across his father's face, and Nick, for the first time, almost felt afraid of his father. "Not another word, Nick!"

Nick glared at his father, breathing hard. His father stared plaintively back.

"If you think I do not care about this girl, then you are highly _mistaken_," said Leanbow, unnervingly calm. "I am not giving up, nor am I saying this is entirely impossible, but there is a high likelihood that we may fail, Nick, whether you accept that fact or not is your decision, but do not _ever_ dare to think that I do not care about her or the sacrifice she made." Leanbow looked away from his son, slowing his own breathing.

Nick's anger suddenly faded away, replaced by guilt and sadness. He had no idea, no idea _at all_, of what had compulsed him to say something like that to his own father, like he had lost control of what he was saying, thinking; there was, now, no doubt in his own mind that Leanbow would give up, and Nick didn't how he could have thought any different, even for a second. His father was a good man, Nick knew that, and he cared about what was right.

_It was Maddie._ His mind told himself. _It was the thought of losing her. It set you off._

Now, as he thought about it, it was, honestly, their first real father-son argument, as the times Leanbow had been known as Koragg the Knight Wolf or Nick had been possessed by the Master had not been... well, quite as friendly or fatherly as this one; arguments and fights were two _completely _different things in Nick's mind. Nick clenched and unclenched his hands, feeling slightly uncomfortable and resentful in the stillness between he and his father.

"Dad," Nick said, looking at his father's turned back. "Dad, I-"

_"UDONNA!"_

**Here we go. *sigh***

**I'm sorry o_o**

**Soooooooo, yeah. **

**I AM SO FREAKING SORRY *facepalm, shame***

**As the idiot and procrastinator and idiot and stupid and IDIOT person I am *angst*, I made you all wait **_**eight effing months **_**for this sequel. I'm not even going to **_**try**_** and defend myself. I'm just stupid.**

**I AM SO SORRY, YOU SHOULD ALL JUST THROW ME INTO MORDOR.**

**It never occured to me to split this into a chapter story (stupidity, remember) UGH. Nor did I want to, but DEAR FREAKING SAURON'S EYEBALL, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. So I finally sucked it up and split it up :P It was getting to be really long anyways (42 KB, beejeezus). This is probably for the best.**

**Now, with the way this new strategy is planned, I have the first couple of chapters planned out here (beta-ing!), and hopefully, now that I've actually gotten some advice, I CAN ACTUALLY FINISH A FREAKING STORY *twitch* (PS- if any of you have good tips on finishing stories, please PM me! I'm a mess!)**

**Now, here comes the warning :P As some of you may be aware, I am in **_**school, **_**and in **_**a million advanced classes, **_**and in **_**color/winterguard**_**, and **_**trying to finish a million other stories because of my musey brain, **_**and **_**I HAVE AN UMPTEEN AMOUNT OF HOMEWORK **_**8| So, yes, while I will be trying much, much, MUCH harder, I will have to put aside (coughslackoffcough) this story (again -_-) every once in a while. **

**I hope you all forgive me for my idiocy and all that crap I just ranted about that makes me feel like an awful person. I hope you don't burn me with fire!**

**... I think that's it. Again, very sorry, hope you forgive me.**

**HOPE YOU STILL LIKE ME ENOUGH TO REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Singing Spirit**

**YAY ^U^ After several, **_**several**_** months, much brooding, and a computer wipeout -_- I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE SEQUEL TO 'BLACK HEART, BLACK SOUL'! :) Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

Nick and Leanbow's heads snapped up quickly as a familiar, blonde-headed figure suddenly streaked past them, running fast enough to ruffle their hair a bit. Claire bolted around the corner at the end of the Rootcore's hallway, gone as quickly as she had come.

Fight momentarily forgotten, Nick threw Leanbow a confused look, who didn't look any more well informed than Nick.

"What the heck was-"

"UDONNA!" Claire screamed again, once more interrupting Nick as she ran back towards them, down the opposite corridor, and around the left-hand corner at the end of the hall. Leanbow's eyebrows shot up, dangerously nearing his hairline.

A door opened from across the narrow hallway and Xander, Daggeron, and Chip's heads poked out, looking across at Nick and Leanbow.

"What in blazes was that?" Xander asked, genuinely stunned.

"That was... Claire," Nick said confusedly. "Screaming something about-"

"UDONNA!" Claire screeched coincedentally as she came back into view at the end of the hall, then disappeared down the right-hand hall she had previously neglected.

"Why's she screaming for Udonna?" Chip asked.

"Has something happened?" Daggeron asked.

"I don't know!" Nick barely kept himself from yelling in agitation, resorting to a mildly irritable tone. "One second it's completely silent and then she's sprinting past us, screaming for Mom, not even bothering to stop and say anything about-"

"UDONNA! UDONNA!" Claire called loudly as she came back down the hall, racing past the men and back down the previous hallway.

Vida's head appeared a few feet away, stuck out of the make-shift infirmary's doorway. She looked down the hallway where Claire had just disappeared, then looked back at the men, blinking.

"What's going on?" Vida asked. "Why is Claire trying to find Udonna?"

"We don't know, okay?" Nick said roughly. Vida cocked a curious, almost... attitudish eyebrow at him, the way she would have two months ago when she would have started something with him for being rude.

"We should probably catch her and ask her what's going on, or at least stop her from hurting herself," Leanbow said.

"Yeah, you're probably-"

"UDONNA!" Claire screamed again, cutting Nick off once more as she ran past all of them, ignoring their gazes of mixed emotion. She ran to the stairs and hurried down into the main room, vanishing from their sights.

Nick looked upward, raising his hands in a 'Why me?' gesture before rolling his eyes and turning for the stairs. They all quickly moved over, even Vida, leaving Madison, strangely enough, and stopped at the top of the stairs, looking down at Claire, watching her a bit skeptically, and just a little worriedly.

"UDONNA!" Claire called, looking dishevled. Her hair was a mess of tangled curls, her skirt was rumpled from being hiked up by her hands as she ran down the corridors, and her eyes were bugging out, wide as dinner plates, as if she had just seen something absolutely extrordinary. She shot back and forth across the room, peeking behind bookcases and tables, above and below, on all sides of everything, and the sixsome could only assume she was looking for Udonna, and grew quite a bit apprehensive when she started doing things like opening up small boxes and checking inside, as if she thought Udonna might have magically contortioned herself into them, for whatever reason.

"Alright, that's enough," Nick said, sighing. He started down the stairs, the others in slow tow. "Claire," he called, but she either ignored him or didn't hear him, for she did not turn his way, stil checking every nook and cranny of the main room.

"Claire," Nick repeated in a stronger voice as they came to the bottom of the steps.

Claire still did not achnoledge him or any of the others. She paced back and forth quicklu on a small area of the floor, probably a couple of feet of the surface, her chest heaving greatly from her excited state, her fingers raking through her hair in a nervous fashion. As they got closer they could hear her mumbling.

"Where is she-got to be around here somewhere-needs to see this-"

"Claire!" Nick said loudly as they stopped beside her.

"What if it's too late, can't be too late- oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord- GASP!" Her hands came to her face, her eyes widening furthur, still not seeing the others. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, she's going to kill- where is she-"

"Claire!" Nick half-shouted.

"Where could she be, said she'd be here today-" Claire continued to mumble, her voice getting higher and louder. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no- Dear gosh, WHERE IS SHE?!" Claire exclaimed loudly to herself, pulling down on her hair.

"CLAIRE!" Nick yelled loudly, grabbing her upper arms and restraining himself from shaking her back and forth. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

She jumped in his arms, frightened by the sudden scare, her eyes still abnormally wide, her hair crazy and tangled, clothes still rumpled.

"What the heck is going on?!" Nick asked, exasperated.

"That is what _I_ would like to know."

The seven looked up at the stairs as Udonna stared down at them, her face a mask of confusion and curiousity, obviously just arriving and learning of Claire's strange behavior.

"UDONNA!" Claire exclaimed, her face breaking into a back-breaking smile. She lept away from Nick and bolted up the staircase, fast as a cheetah. She grabbed Udonna's arm; Udonna's face reflected her sudden suprise. "COME ON, COME ON, COME ON, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!" Claire squealed as she started to pull Udonna down one of Rootcore's many branching corridors so fast that Udonna stumbled along, looking worriedly and stunned at her old apprentice. "COME ON!" The six vaguely heard her scream as they disappeared down the hallway.

"Come on, then!" Nick ordered, and they all ran quickly up the stairs, following Claire's excited screams down the hallway she had first come from, taking the left-hand turn and rushing down the long hall to the last room at the very end, where the door had been left wide open. They arrived in the doorway in record time, breathing hard.

It was a small, homey little room, and Nick recognized it as Claire's own room. It had a small single bed adorned with handwoven, multi-colored quilts and two pale blue peacock-feather pillows. Next to the bed was a small wooden nightstand, complete with an oil-lamp, a box of matches, a wand, and a small pile of spell books, more crammed into the drawers of the nightstand and larger piles in a far corner of the room. A wooden wardrobe sat in a nearby corner. A long, plush floor rug lay on the floor, right next to and parallel to the side of the bed. It also matched the pillows. A beautiful tree was painted on the opposite wood wall of the doorway, and Nick realized it was a smaller, painted version of Rootcore, with it's spiraled trunk and thousands of lush leaves, stretching out to touch the sky. Opposite the bed was a set of glass-paned double doors with golden handles that led out to a small balcony. Light streamed gently into the room, lighting the room almost cheerfully.

Claire and Udonna were already there, standing by the doors. Claire was literally bouncing with excitement, grinning non-stop. Udonna eyed her warily as Nick and the others approached them.

"Claire, what is going on?" Nick asked again, a little frustrated.

"Yes, child, what has happened?" Udonna asked.

"You'll see in a second!" Claire said, smiling. She grasped the door handles then, pulling them wide open. Light poured fully in, lighting everything with a golden glow. She turned and grasping Udonna's wrist, tugging gently on it. "Come on!" She urged.

They all stepped out onto the balcony, basking in the sunlight of midday. Claire led them over to the edge of the balcony, bouncing more rapidly on her toes, cheeks twitching from grinning for so long. Nick, Udonna, Chip, Xander, Vida, Daggeron, and Leanbow all exachanged the same, confused, interested look, then came to the balcony, peering over the edge.

The balconey was nestled twelve feet or so off of the ground, and positioned right over one of Udonna's small herb garden's, used to grow general potions herbs. Sunlight illuminated the plants, reflecting off of deep green leaves and many kinds of species, colors, and sizes of flowers, all bloomed in the gentle summer weather.

However Claire was obviously not interested in showing them plants as she looked past the garden, twenty feet or so to the edge of the growing area, and pointed.

"Look, see!? There!"

A figure stood calmly at the edge of the garden. It was adorned in a floor-length brown robe, something like a monk's robe with it's too long sleeves and closed front (unlike a Jedi's robe, Nick thought oddly). The hood was pulled up over the figure's head, shadowing the whole face from peering eyes; none of them could make out any part of the face. The dark opening of the hood, however, was pointed up, facing them, and they could all feel whoever- or whatever- it was staring at them.

Udonna suddenly sucked in a breath, her eyes going as wide as Claire's.

"Is that... is that what I think it is?" She breathed in a whisper.

"What?" Chip asked. "What? What is it?"

"It's- it's impossible," said Daggeron, looking just as dumbfounded.

"They haven't been seen in... in hundreds of years..." Leanbow said, blinking.

"What is it?" Nick repeated Chip's question. "What's going on?"

"Ssh, ssh," Udonna said, holding up a finger, her gaze stuck to the figure. Nick closed his mouth, agitated. A long moment of silence passed.

Suddenly, as if their presence compelled it (which it probably did, Nick thought), the figure's chest heaved, bringing in a giant breath of air, and then let out a slow, high-pitched, melodious whistle.

It was the shortest, strangest, simplest, yet most beautiful sound any of them had ever heard.

Udonna's face broke into a large smile.

"This is it!" She exclaimed. "It's happening!"

"I know!" Claire said excitedly. They grinned happily at each other.

"What _is _that?" Xander asked. "What are you all talking about?"

"Come on, come on," Udonna said, ignoring them again. She grabbed Claire's arm in a gentle yet firm grip, and then they were gone, running through the balcony doors back into Rootcore. Daggeron and Leanbow rushed right in after them, leaving the four Rangers alone on the balcony.

"Hey!" Nick called. "Hey- what's going on?! _Hey_!"

No answer, not that he had expected one. He looked back oddly at the figure, who had turned it's head down to look at the garden. After a moment, he turned away, looking at the others.

"Come on, let's go!" Nick said. "We're going to find out what all of this is about, and we're going to find out now!"

They all ran into Rootcore, bolting through the halls back to the main room, where they found the four. Udonna and Claire were looking quickly through a large bookshelf on one side of the room while Daggeron and Leanbow were riffling rapidly through a large pile of books in a corner on the other side, tossing book after book away as they searched.

Vida looked confused. "What are they-"

"I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT!" Claire squealed, pulling a large, old, dusty brown book from the shelves. It seemed important, obviously, as the other three were by her side in a second.

"Good, Claire, good," Udonna said hastily. She took the book from Claire's hands and started to rifle through it, fingers moving in a blur as she flew through the pages. The other three crowded around her, looking over her shoulder.

The team half-jogged down the stairs, watching the four with interest.

"Hey, what's-"

Claire let out a giant "SSH!" Chip blinked, looking a little taken aback.

"No... no...," Leanbow muttered, watching the book with eagle eyes. "No... no-"

"Wait, there! There! There!" Daggeron said suddenly, looking as if he were restraining himself from jumping up and down on his toes with Claire.

"It's here!" Udonna said, stopping suddenly on the victimed page. "Good Lord, it's here. We've found it." She grinned up at them, looking a bit flustered.

"Uh... hey?" Chip asked. The four finally, finally looked up at him, their eyes almost innocent-like. "Um, what's... here?"

"What I think he means is what the heck is going on?" Nick asked, crossing his arms. "You obviously know something we don't, something about that- that _thing _outside, and no one's leaving until we find out what this is all about!"

They all stared curiously at him for a moment, and then slowly, suddenly, Udonna's lips curved back up into a another, more gentle smile.

"That's not just a 'thing', Bowen," she said. "Most definitely not. It is so much... so much _more_ than that. It's wonderous, and it is the answer to our troubles."

"So... what is it?" Xander asked softly.

"It's a Singing Spirit."

**Sorry, I didn't mean to put this off too long. Midterms are coming up, and it's been rough. Honestly, I need to find someone after this week to constantly remind me to keep writing... any takers?**

**No, seriously. I'm pretty serious.**

**Anyway, I hope this tickled your fancy- and your interest! Don't forget to review!**

***FyrePhoenix16- By the way, YES. YES I AM. OUO I am a LOTR FREAK! I love meeting fellow fans!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Singing Spirit**

**YAY ^U^ After several, **_**several**_** months, much brooding, and a computer wipeout -_- I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE SEQUEL TO 'BLACK HEART, BLACK SOUL'! :) Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

Silence filled the room. The Rangers all looked completely lost while Udonna, Daggeron, Leanbow, and Claire grinned somewhat joyously at them, blinking innocently.

"Um... come again?" Vida asked.

Their smiles didn't waver. Udonna waved them over.

"Here- come Rangers, come." She moved forward, letting them have room to see into the book.

She had stopped on an old yellowed page somewhere in the middle of the book. There was a long passage down one page, all written in a strange language they were not familiar with. '_In Cantus Spiritus_' was written across the top of the page, and they supposed that was 'The Singing Spirit' in whatever language this book happened to be written in.

"Look," Udonna said, turning the page.

The entire back side of the page was a picture, a scale model of the hooded thing outside Rootcore. The Rangers took it all in, still a little confused.

"But... but what _is _a Singing Spirit anyway?" Vida asked. "Some sort of ghost?"

"No," Udonna said, "as true ghosts cannot exist alone in this realm."

"So what is it?" Nick asked, a bit impatient by now.

"Long ago, three thousand years ago in fact," Daggeron started, "there was the first battle between good and evil, long before the Great Battle, long before the Mystics. It was called the First War, for the Mystic Mother had seen that it would be the first of many. The First War lasted fifty years, and millions of lives were lost, human and magic alike."

"Gosh," Vida whispered, eyes wide.

"It was cruel times, very dark," said Leanbow, "but, after those fifty long years of fighting, good magic finally overpowered the darkness. However, while the end of the war brought an end to the fighting, there simply was no peace."

"Why?" Xander asked. "If the fighting was over, why was everything still so bad?"

"Because," Leanbow continued, "so many lives had been lost, innocent and corrupted, young and old, weak and strong, all perishing in the waters and the fires of the First War. The effects of the war left everyone, humans and creatures, in deep depressions. Mothers had lost children, men had lost wives, there were _countless_ orphans. And while the public world prospered, the private world, the hearts of the people, were broken and twisted with loss."

"There were so many people dead," said Chip quietly. "They didn't know how to handle to loss of the people they loved."

"Exactly," answered Daggeron. "And as the world grieved, so did the Mystic Mother. She could feel their pain, the constant emotional ache of losing those so important. She was in total grief, painful emotion after painful emotion piled on top of her. The first year after the war was called the Dark Year because, in all the Mystic Mother's sadness, the skies were always grey and stormy, rain falling day after day, and everyone lived in darkness."

"So... so what happened?" Nick asked curiously.

"The Mystic Mother came up with an idea," Udonna said. "It was like no other, it seemed practically impossible. She decided to bring those who had been wrongfully lost back to life, back to their families and friends. She wanted to ease the pain of the sorrowful world."

"So, she brought people back from the dead?" Vida asked.

"Almost," said Daggeron. "She created a creature, created the _In Cantus Spiritus_, the Singing Spirit, to do it for her."

"I don't understand," said Nick.

"Singing Spirits... are soul-carrying bodies," said Leanbow. "The way of the Singers was that if a innocent or a savior or someone of great importance for the good, those deemed worthy of the Mystic Mother in short, had been wronged, been sent to death, the Singers would collect their soul, sort of... _merging_ it inside of their bodies for safe-keeping, making it able for their spirits to cross back over into the physical realm. Then, they would return to the human world, where they would return the soul to it's original host body. This could only happen once, however, so if the person died again, even accidentally, they would remain as one of the passed, moving on into death."

"So... they brought people back to life by kidnapping their souls from death, carrying it inside them to the human world, then spitting it back out into the body?" Chip asked, blinking.

Daggeron cocked an eyebrow. "I... suppose that's... the gist of it..."

"But what does that have to do with us?" Xander asked.

The foursome looked at the Rangers strangely.

"Rangers," Udonna asked, "don't you understand what this means? Why the Singer is here?" She leaned forward. "Do you not see?" she whispered.

The whole team suddenly stiffened. Silence.

Vida suddenly gasped shakily, her eyes widening. Her mouth opened and closed for a second, like a fish out of water, before she slowly moved her hand over it. She was in total shock. Nick, Xander, and Chip looked dumbfounded, stunned.

"Oh... my... gosh..." Chip trailed off.

"The Spirit..." Vida choked out. "The Spirit... the Spirit is-"

"Maddie." Nick whispered hoarsely.

More silence.

Udonna smiled with the gentleness of a mother. "Precisely."

"Oh gosh," Vida repeated Chip's words, her hand placed against her throat in shock. Her legs started to knock violently. "Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh..." Chip helped her sit down, leaving his arm around her.

"The Singer is here to bring back Maddie?" Xander asked, looking mind-blown.

"Yes," Leanbow affirmed.

The air in the room suddenly shifted. There was something different about this, something unimaginable about the way the winds suddenly seemed to change. Nick turned looking back at the doorway of the open make-shift infirmary, imagining Madion Roccas's cold, lifeless form, the coldness in her eyes, and suddenly... suddenly there was _hope_. Suddenly it was as if the top of Rootcore had been ripped off and sun was blasting down on them, giving them warmth and light. The world was suddenly whole again, life outside them becoming new again, becoming beautiful. The past two months seemed to fade into nothingness in the back of his mind, long a long ago memory, blurred yet uncared for. It was like the universe had opened up and they had been there to witness it. Nick's heart swelled with emotion he could not contain.

_They weren't lost anymore. _

_Maddie was coming back. _

_Maddie was coming _back_._

_Maddie was coming back!_

_MADDIE WAS COMING BACK!_

Nick suddenly grinned, looking back.

"Guys... guys, we're getting Maddie back," he spoke the words they were all thinking. "We're getting Maddie back."

"We're getting Maddie back," Vida said, still looking dumbfounded, but a smile suddenly starting to cross her face. "My sister, we're getting her back!"

"We're getting Maddie back!" Chip shouted, full out grinning. "YES!"

"We're getting Maddie back!" Xander shouted. Euphoria filled the air as they all jumped up, grinning wildly and freely at one another.

"Well... what are we waiting for?!" Chip demanded brightly.

"Come on, let's go get Maddie back!" Xander shouted.

"Maddie!" Vida squealed.

They all started for the door, started for Maddie, started for their old lives-

-when Leanbow threw out his arms, stopping them.

"What are you doing?" Vida asked, too distracted and euphoric to look at him. "Come on Leanbow, move! We have to go get Maddie!"

"I'm afraid," came Leanbow's deep voice, "that it isn't that simple, Rangers."

"Yes, it will be!" Chip said. "We just go get her and bring her in to give Maddie's soul back! Easy, peezy!" They went past Leanbow, heading straight for the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Rangers," said Udonna, "but my husband is right."

"Oh come on, Mom," Nick said, stopping right before the doorway to look up at his mother, "don't be so-so- M-Mom?"

Nick finally, _really_ saw his mother, his father, Daggeron, Claire. He froze, the grin slowly slipping off of his face. Vida, Chip, and Xander stopped, turning, and they froze as well, watching the grim expressions on the foursome's faces. Their happiness evaporated immediately, replaced with an enormus sense of dread.

"What... what did you mean 'it isn't that simple'?" Nick asked quietly.

"Bowen," spoke Udonna softly, "there is a reason the Singing Spirits haven't been seen in hundreds of years."

Nick swallowed a lump in his throat. "Why not?" He whispered.

"Because," Daggeron spoke in a dark voice, "even the most good of creatures can be corrupted by darkness."

"What... what happened?" Xander choked out.

"For five hundred years the world lived in peace again," said Daggeron. "The Singing Spirits came become more than a legend: they were heroes, grateful, merciful beings created to help those who deserved it. They were well loved by all, especially the Mystic Mother, who was happy that she had brought peace back to a troubled world. For a moment, all was well."

"And then?" Chip asked.

"And then Jorkeer the Enslaver was born," said Udonna in a hard tone.

**Again, I am SO sorry for the wait :P**

**I constantly forget that I have not one, but two in-progress stories running x| And so between hours of school and hours of winterguard and hours of homework and the like, sometimes I forget to update or think about my last updates. Sincerest apologies. **

**By the way, it'll probably happen again. *pessimist***

**Also, I really do love cliffhangers ;) Heeheehee...**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Singing Spirit**

**YAY ^U^ After several, **_**several**_** months, much brooding, and a computer wipeout -_- I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE SEQUEL TO 'BLACK HEART, BLACK SOUL'! :) Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

"Who?" Nick asked.

"Jorkeer the Enslaver, born of Kyrag, a dark monster, and Estonya, a European human slave," said Daggeron. "Back then, humans were not so much horribly despised by dark creatures as simply looked down upon for their lack of power, authority, intelligence."

Leanbow sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Dark creatures used humans as servants, slaves, entertainment, messengers, and so on," continued Daggeron. "Estonya was a human slave, under service of Kyrag, who was the great-great-great grandfather of the Master himself."

Nick narrowed his eyes at the mention of the monster.

"She bore him a child, Jorkeer, who was the first half-being in existence, being half-human and half-demon. Estonya died in childbirth, leaving Jorkeer's new mind completely open to his father... and his father's ideas."

Xander hissed something unintelligeble under his breath.

"Jorkeer grew up under the influence that the dark side of magic deserved to rule all, and the only way that could happen was if the light side- and the Mystic Mother herself- were obiliterated completely," Leanbow added. "His father trained him to be a destroyer, made him cunning, smart, strong, and as the boy grew older, he grew more vicious, more spiteful, and more deciteful."

"What happened to him?" Vida asked softly.

"Well," Daggeron said, "Jorkeer was born in the beginning age of the Singing Spirits, and grew up as the Singers became heroes and legends. Humans and creatures all over the world were being reunited with lost loved ones, the happiness was unstoppable! And it sickened Kyrag."

"No doubt," Xander muttered darkly.

"The happiness, the joy, the elation of having those wrongfully lost returned, the peace most of the world had fallen into- it disgusted him. He hated the thought of peace and happiness, swimming in darkness and hate himself. So he formed a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Nick asked.

"As Daggeron said," said Udonna, "Jorkeer grew up as the Singing Spirits became well known for their acts, and Kyrag was unervingly interested by the creatures. Kyrag pondered the abilities of the Singers, studied their powers and abilities, observed how the inhabitants of the world practically worshiped them, and then he had the idea."

"What idea?" Nick asked a little agitatedly.

"To use the Singing Spirits for evil," said Udonna, her eyes dark. "To turn them against the Mystic Mother and the light side. To bring them to his side and use them for his own sinister purposes."

"What?" Chip asked, eyes wide. "But... but could he _do_ that?"

"He could," said Daggeron darkly, "and he _did._"

"You musn't forget, Chip," said Leanbow, "that even the most wonderful good can be corrupted, twisted and broken and shattered until there is no more light for it, and that's when the darkness sets in."

"So what happened?" asked Xander.

"Kyrag used his son to bait the leader of the Spirits," said Daggeron.

"There was no question that Jorkeer was a handsome boy," said Udonna, "tall, well-built, and incredibly coy, and one day, Kyrag finally put his plan into action. He disguised his son's dark signature and sent him to a small town, not too far from Bryarwood in fact, where it was rumored that the First Leader herself of the Spirits would be returning the spirit of the Prime Minister, who had died only days before."

"And were the rumors true?" Vida asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Daggeron continued. "The whole town had gathered in the square to witness the rebirthing of their beloved leader. They all watched as the Spirit descended from the sky, watched as the Spirit brought the dead Minister back to life, and they worshiped her work. That's where he was, that's where he caught her eye."

"How do you mean?" Xander asked.

"The Singers weren't supposed to fall in love," Udonna said. "The Mystic Mother created them in the intention that they would never be able to fall to temptation. She did not realize how strong Kyrag's power could be."

"Jorkeer tricked her into falling in love with him," Nick stated.

"Kyrag's power corrupted her senses of right and wrong," Daggeron revised. "But yes. Yes, she loved him at first sight. Yes, she snuck away from the Mystic Mother to be with him. Yes, she fell deeply in love with him, never knowing of his treacherous ways. When Kyrag masked his son's evil signature, it made him almost human in aura. She never suspected that he was evil."

"And as she got closer and closer to him," Leanbow continued, "his evil began to lick at her heart, changing her mind, her thoughts, her soul. Darkness crept into her. She never knew, never realized the influence and suggestiveness Jorkeer had over her; her love for him blinded her. And it overcame her."

"She turned to the dark side," said Vida; it wasn't a question.

"That, Vida," said Daggeron grimly, "that she did. Eventually the light in her soul could not ward off her blindsided love for Kyrag's son, and it took over her completely- mind, body, and soul. The darkness- _his _darkness- had sunk in too deep, had corrupted her too much. Her crystalline heart became evil and twisted, she reveled in her newfound power and freedom."

"And then?" Chip inquired tersely.

"Jorkeer recruited her," Daggeron went on, "strengthening her with dark magic, molding her into a powerful sorceress, practically invincible. And then he presented her to Kyrag."

"Kyrag was _overjoyed_ with his success," said Udonna. "Gloriously overjoyed. Jorkeer had found the way to Kyrag's success! The First Leader herself, beaten and taken for their own! Stronger and more powerful than any other Spirit, cunning and beautiful and now awfully terrible, she was the perfect weapon! Potential world destruction all fitted into the body of one creature- and she was completely under the control of the most vicious, malevolent beast to have ever lived."

"Potential _world destruction_?!" Chip exclaimed, eyes wide. "Are you kidding me?!"

"If only she were," Leanbow answered coldly, eyes made of stone. "If only it were a cruel tale or joke, an awful myth or story, but it wasn't. If only Jorkeer had never been born or Estonya had never died. If only the Spirit had been stronger, or if she had never saved the Minister at all. If only the Mystic Mother had seen Kyrag's cruel plans before it was too late."

His voice dropped to a murmur. "It was too late."

A cold chill ran through the air, making them all internally shiver. Udonna, Leanbow, Daggeron, and Claire all looked adament; the Rangers all looked shocked and inexorable.

"And then something happened," said Xander emotionlessly. "She did something, didn't she? He made her do something. Something bad."

The adults all looked up at him; the Rangers watched them silently.

"Yes," whispered Udonna. Another silent moment.

"What did he do?" Xander asked, his voice low.

"He ordered her to destroy them," said Leanbow. "All of them. Every Spirit, every good and just creature, the Mystic Mother herself. He ordered her to murder every piece of good magic left in the world and the worlds beyond. He ordered her to kill, kill and damage and obliterate everything moralistic and selfless and kind in the universe. He ordered her to make him king. She was his to command."

"Under his control, she broke away from the Mystic Mother, severing any and every tie she had left to her good roots. She tore back into the Spirits' realm and held every Spirit imprisoned within a magical barrier, and gave them all a choice. Join her, or die."

"And some agreed," said Daggeron. "They willingly took her offer. And by the time the Mystic Mother had broken through the Leader's magical implements, she and her followers had gotten away, leaving the rest, those who had refused, to prepare."

"For what?" Nick asked hoarsely.

"War," Daggeron said darkly.

"Formulations were already in motion," Leanbow continued. "Kyrag wanted a militia; and that's exactly what she gave him. She was the epitome of martial law. She influenced and persuaded a swelling, magnanimous number of her kind and brought them to the darkness. She formed an army, an entire battalion of evil Spirits. She disciplined them in the dark arts, making them stronger, relentless, ruthless, _dangerous_. She fed them lies and malicious philosophies, turning them against everything they had been born of, everything they had known. She taught them suffering and anguish; how to slay and murder and annihilate. She mutilated and distorted their minds until there was nothing left but Kyrag and his wickedness. For many months, she trained them in iniquity, frothing and heartless. Soldiers, trained to destroy, and leave nothing behind."

"What happened?" Vida asked, her face pale.

"They issued a declaration of war," Udonna spoke. "Eighteen months after the Leader had enlisted her pack, during the first harvest moon, recruits from her army kidnapped one of the Mystic Mother's Spirits as she brought the soul of a young boy back to the Earth. They ripped the boy's soul from her body and tore it into pieces, locking the child into death for the rest of eternity. They attacked and beat the Spirit, abused her until she was only inches from death, and then they sent her back to the Mystic Mother, broken and fading, with one message. And as she lay dying in the arms of the Mystic Mother, she passed on the message with her final breath. Two words, her last ones, recited from the Leader's filthy mouth themself. Two words: _ten days."_

"Ten days until battle," Chip said.

"Not just a battle," Leanbow ammended dismally. "Warfare. Ten days until massacre. Ten days until their resistance would crusade, until they would dive upon the Mystic Mother's forces with bloodlust and anger and wrath. Ten days until they would strike, for better or so, so much worse. Ten days until the War of the Wraiths."

**Oddly enough, I kind of like the ending here. I honestly might (meaning definitely) have meant to go on a bit farther in the story, but I really like this little hanger here ;)**

**Sorry again for the long wait. Color guard has eaten my alive -_- I'm falling asleep at my computer.**

**Please remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Singing Spirit**

**YAY ^U^ After several, **_**several**_** months, much brooding, and a computer wipeout -_- I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE SEQUEL TO 'BLACK HEART, BLACK SOUL'! :) Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

"How come we've never read about this war?" Vida asked curiously. "Or even ever heard about it?"

"Because, Vida, in this day and time, many people, human and magic alike, believe that the Spirits were a myth, or a story made up perhaps to comfort those who had lost those they loved," Udonna answered. "Some even believe that the Spirits existed, but that they were, essentially, some kind of race of faeries or sprite, and that the deeds they did were the legends themselves. As I said, the Spirits have been absent in this realm for hundreds of years; history becomes fantasy, stories become myths. Doubt sets in, and, overall, as the mortal, imperfect beings we are, we begin to forget that which made us as we are."

"But the Spirits' war _was _real, right?" Chip asked.

"Indeed, Chip," confirmed Udonna.

"What happened?"

"The Mystic Mother was not a stupid woman, nor did she underestimate the power that her right-hand Spirit possessed," said Leanbow. "The Mystic Mother had created these creatures with her own bare hands, sculpted them of magic and light and breathed life into them; she was, fundamentally, their mother. The Mystic Mother had given the Leader her power, and if anything, she let herself overestimate her lost ones, for not only were they strong in the power she had given them, but they were also empowered by the dark magic they had studied and trained in.

"Now, of course by no means did she give up. Never. Nor did she turn away from the light in search of dark power to win the war against the lost ones. The Mystic Mother knew that the light was stronger, knew that good still was, and would always be, more powerful than evil, and her belief in that only made her powers stronger."

"And so," Daggeron continued, "in the days before the battle, the Mystic Mother gathered her remaining Spirits together and held a bonding rite- a magical ritual in which magic is shared between those who partake in such a ceremony. On that night, the Mystic Mother took from the very core of magic itself."

"Her heart," said Xander quietly, looking stunned.

"Precisely," Daggeron affirmed. "She collected the deepest, most pure magic from the very recesses of her heart, and pulled it out to bond with her Spirits. Stories say she held the magic in her palm, and that the light was so bright and untainted that only the loyal Spirits of the light could look upon it without being completely obliterated. It burned and shone like a million suns, and when the Spirits were merged with it, they were almost as powerful as the Mother herself. They became raw, unbridled _energy_, one thousand times more powerful than they had ever been. It was brilliantly profound, amazing; but it was also very, very dangerous."

"Why?" Nick asked bluntly.

"The Spirits had just been bonded to the ultimate resource of power, Bowen," said Udonna. "While incredible, the power could be exceptionally uncontrollable to those who had never wielded nor known such a power. Some did not live through the bonding process; others were not strong enough to hold the power inside of their bodies, and had to give much of it back to the Mother or pass it on to other Spirits for use. The Mystic Mother had gone to the extreme in doing what she did, giving such unlimited power to those who had never been intended to make use of such power. But desperate times had called for desperate measures, and when the sun rose on the dawning day of war, the Mystic Mother could only hope that she had, indeed, made the right choice."

"And did she?" Chip questioned.

"That, Chip," said Leanbow, "that she did."

"They won," said Xander.

"Yes, they did," said Udonna. "While not without bloodshed and death, just as war imposes, after long hours of fierce battle, the lost ones attacking with bloodlust and anger, massacring the good Spirits they had been taught to survive, and the good ones attacking with magic nearly uncontrolled, the light side won over- however, only just."

"There were hundreds of casualties," Daggeron said. "Perhaps even thousands. No one had ever seen anything so pitiful, and so terribly _sad. _The bodies of what should have been the epitomes of good magic itself, created to be the image of mercy and righteousness and fairness, some still as they had been made, others defiled and corrupted by darkness and transgression, lay scattered on the battlefield like flies, like animals drawn to the slaughter. The sight could make grown men weep, seeing such beauty lying so cold and still. It is said that the Mystic Mother's anguish for her children, loyal and lost alike, was so great that the sky opened up and torrented with rain for weeks, pouring day after day and night after night for another year; it's known to many who believe the story as the Second Torrent, for the world was just as distraught and dark as it had been forty-three years earlier after the First War."

"But that can't be it," said Nick, his tone partially questioning. "I mean, what happened to Kyrag? And Jorkeer, and the First Leader? You said she had the potential for _world destruction!"_

"You're right, Bowen, you are right," said Leanbow. "After the battle had ceased, with good reigning victorious- battered and beaten, certainly, but victorious- the Mystic Mother herself had come to the battlefield. She had walked, _walked_ over the very ground her children had crusaded upon, the very ground her creations had killed one another, sister upon sister upon sister, all turned against or forced against their true, good, kind natures; whether to willingly attack or to fight back, all of her children had been changed, willingly or no.

"As the Mother walked across the battlefield, through row after row of her departed children, she finally found what she sought: two bodies- one the body of the First Leader, barely breathing and barely alive, pinned through her stomach to the ground with the willow-hilted sword of the last Singing Spirit ever to have been molded by the Mystic Mother, and the second the body of the last Spirit herself, Rhudeen, later to be known as Rhudeen the Brave, lying only inches away from the Leader, dead. During the battle, Rhudeen had taken on the Leader single-handedly, in a fierce battle of wits that was so quick and furious and powerful that some around them had stopped in their own attacks by the heat of the fight. The Leader had been more powerful, faster, stronger, but accounts say that Rhudeen, as the youngest living, loyal Spirit, was the purest and most innocent of them all, and when the Mystic Mother's magic had mixed with her own, she had been able to hold more of the unrestrained power, and had been able to contain and use it more skillfully and truly than any of the other Spirits. Fueled by courage and the Mystic Mother's sheer, vivacious power, Rhudeen had fought off the Leader with strength and cunning. They both attacked long and hard, both fighting for the upper hand; their battle, however, certainly had an end. After long minutes of ferocious, vehement battle, the Leader finally found an opening and, with an unexpected lunge, launched herself at Rhudeen and sliced across her heart with her fingernails, dripping with the essence of Black Hemlock, the quickest, most painful, deadliest poison known to any creature from any dimension. The effect was instantaneous; as Rhudeen fell to the ground, more than mortally wounded, the poison seeped through the wound and into Rhudeen's white heart, beginning to kill her instantly. Triumphant, the Leader turned back to the battle, the kill making her even more eager to fight- only to find, in furious and shocked indignation, Rhudeen's willow-hilted blade through her torso, slicing through her body like butter. The Leader fell to the ground, writhing in agony and disbelief, for the sword had been forged through the Mother's magic as well, and was built only to be wielded by those purest of heart and brutally marred those scorned by evil, looking up at the starkly pale form of Rhudeen, standing straight and tall with the strength of a warrior and the bravery of one victorious. With her last strength, Rhudeen plunged the sword through the Leader, confining her and her corrupted heart away from the others, and then Rhudeen fell, dead before she had hit the blood-stained ground."

Nick, Vida, Chip, and Xander, all looking stunned and a bit distraught, listened quietly as Leanbow went on.

"The Mystic Mother found their bodies, her most deceitful still suffering and her most loyal already far gone. The Mystic Mother approached them, the Leader beginning to shriek and spit obscenities when she sighted her creator, and stopped first at the body of the Leader, staring down with utter sadness and disappointment at her once- greatest creation. The Leader continued to scream and yell as the Mother looked down at her for a long, awful moment, and then, with no warning or preparation, the Mother flung herself to her knees and shoved her hand into the Spirit's chest, grabbing hold of the Spirit's soul. The Spirit fell immediately, deathly, fearfully quiet. They stared at each other for another suspended moment, mother against daughter, love verses hate, and then the Mother, eyes cold, whispered three words: _This ends now. _And with that she ripped out the Spirit's soul, and the Leader fell forever quiet."

"Oh," Vida breathed, seemingly unable of saying anything else yet. "Oh."

"It was... terrible, yes," saod Udonna softly. "The Mystic Mother had taken the very essence of her most corrupted, but once most loved and trusted Spirit. The story says that the Mother looked upon the soul with sadness and regret, for the Spirit's heart was coated in darkness, painted black with intense hate and unchangable corruption. It was twisted and filled with the utmost of evils- but, as the Mystic Mother held it in her hand, she pulled the black coating off in thread-likes strands, making a sort of 'opening' in the soul, and in the very deepest, darkest corners of the Leader's stolen soul she found one miniscule speck of light; the light from which she had once been created. Found, the Mystic Mother took the spot of light from the tainted soul, destroying the rest of it with a wave of her hand. She looked sadly upon the speck of light, so small and fragile but still there, and finally, truly knew that light would always triumph over evil, no matter the battle."

"She then did the same with Rhudeen, gently removing the slowly fading soul from the small Spirit's body and taking it tenderly in her hands, bigger and brighter than the Leader's remains, and still so pure and untainted. And with a tearful, pained blessing over her most loyal, brave Spirit, the Mystic Mother strode to the center of the battlefield, souls held tightly in her hands, turning her back on her dearest, most beloved Spirits, both lost to evil beyond the Mother's undoing."

"What happened then?" Chip asked in a whisper, eyes wide and sad.

"In the center of the battlefield, souls clenched in her hands, surrounded by what was left of her beautiful creations, the Mystic Mother looked upon them and their saddened, broken faces and bodies, and knew that she would never allow such destruction to ever happen again to her Singers," said Daggeron softly. "With that decision, the Mystic Mother cast a spell over the battlefield; as the Spirits watched, the bodies of the fallen transformed, turning bright gold, shining blindingly like miniature suns, and then they faded into the ground, and where their bodies vanished vegetations of all kinds sprouted from their former resting places; from these sproutings, a forest began to form and grow, stretching for the sky as the wood grew in just minutes- beautiful and vivid, and as it grew, the Mother knew it would last for all time. A physical reminder of the tragedy that had happened there, and a promise that it should never, as long as the Mystic Mother could help it, happen ever again.

"The Mystic Mother then took Rhudeen's soul and, with another spell, set it upon the ground, and from it's place a small tree sprouted from the ground. It grew and grew, and in a matter of minutes, a large tree stood where the plant had sprouted, large and thick and lively.

"Finally, as the Mother looked sadly upon her tree, she breathed her last spell upon the speck of the First Leader's remaining light and stepped up to the tree. The center of the tree's trunk pulled open readily and, with fragile, broken tenderness, the Mystic Mother placed the soul inside the tree's trunk and sealed the hole, binding the souls forever together in the trunk of the centermost, most important, beautiful, and meaningful tree of the magic forest.

"Turning to her remaining followers, the Mother, with tear filled eyes and pain in every nerve of her body, declared in a torn voice, 'Let it be known that what has happened today shall never happen again in the world of man or magic... and I have sworn my life and my power on this decree, that the pain and blood and tragedy that has occurred here will never be heard of again, and nor will the Spirits of old. We shall fall from memory into myth and legend, and as this tree grows we shall be forever reminded of these things that shall haunt us. I christen this tree Rootcore, as Rhudeen was 'soul of the purest life,' and I christen this land to be known as Briarwood, as was the name of the First Leader: 'the heartiest rose.' May this place flourish in life, as we have wandered in death.'"

"And with these things done, the Mystic Mother gathered her followers and took them back to their realm, where they would remain for years to come, soon to be forgotten in the world of men."

**Dear God, this is so long O.O**

**And I REALLY REALLY LIKE THIS ONE :D Dear Lord of all that is holy, I never thought that this chapter would go so well! *squeals***

**Anyway, I'm tired, so while I've very, very, VERY overexcited and would like to explain to you in another couple hundred more words how awesome I think this chapter is and how much I love it and how well I really think I did, I have major testing to do tomorrow -_- So I'm going to bed now.**

**Please make sure to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Singing Spirit**

**YAY ^U^ After several, **_**several**_** months, much brooding, and a computer wipeout -_- I HAVE FINALLY WRITTEN THE SEQUEL TO 'BLACK HEART, BLACK SOUL'! :) Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!**

The Rangers' jaws fell wide open as Daggeron finished. A strange mood fell over them in the ensuing silence as the mind-boggling information sunk into their brains. The air felt tangibly, strangely _serene_, and there was something else in it, almost a _thrumming_. It was deep and steady, like the low purr of a cat, the rumbling hum of life and, well, _magic_. It was all around them, in the walls of the trunk and the leaves and branches and vines, threaded in the tree's very veins and roots, and it was _active_, pulsing and rippling in the empty air between Rootcore's occupants. It lay like a heavy cloud over them, covering and suffocating them at once, _feeling _them.

"Oh my god," Vida spoke first. "Oh my _god_-"

"Rootcore... is a Singing Spirit?" Chip asked astoundedly.

"Two Singing Spirits," Xander corrected him.

"We've been living... _inside_... a Singing Spirit?" Nick asked carefully, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"In a manner of words, yes," Udonna said, almost _cheerfully. _

"But did you- did you know-?"

"Not initially, no," Udonna answered, "but when we took refuge in Rootcore, I discovered the legend."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Vida asked.

"I didn't find it important, or, as important as I should have considered it. It was an old tale, and irrelevant to the challenges you faced in your time as Power Rangers. Singing Spirit magic is unknown by any except their own, and not useful to those outside of their species; I had no intention of interfering with magic that I had no potential for."

"But what about after the battle?" Xander said hotly. "After everything that happened with Maddie and the Master? Why didn't you say anything?"

"The Rootcore Spirits can't help us, Xander," said Leanbow. "Their magic, their essance may still be here, but they do not live. They _can't_; the Spirits that lay here died in the War. They have no conscience, no mind or decision because they don't exist anymore."

"But we could have studied it! Found out what they did- how they did what they did! We could have figured it out!"

"I've told you," Udonna answered, "their magic cannot be harnessed for our own gains. Spirit magic is complicated, and studying it would do nothing for us. It's impossible, Xander, to look for and study something we couldn't possibly understand."

Xander quieted and clenched his fist, holding his back his easily-broken temper.

"That still doesn't answer the question: why now?" Chip asked. "People get hurt, tortured, people die every day. Why, in hundreds of years, have the Spirits stayed hidden, only to come for Maddie? It doesn't make sense!"

"But I think it does, Chip," Claire said slowly, speaking up for the first time. "Maddie's a Power Ranger, and not only that, she's pure, kind, and brave. I think her magic cried out for help, and the Spirit's felt that bravery and purity and decided to answer."

"It's been two months, Claire," said Nick. "They would've come before, wouldn't they?"

"You must remember, Bowen, that beyond the grave lies hundreds of millions of trillions of spirits," said Leanbow. "Imagine trying to find one little shred of a spirit in the midst of billions and billions of people and creatures alike, all together in the afterlife. It's like trying to find a needle in a hundred haystacks, it takes time."

"And so now they've found it?" Vida asked. "And that's why it's here?"

"We think so, yes," said Udonna. "There's not many other explanations as to why she would be here."

"She?" asked Nick immediately. "How do you know it's a she?"

"The Spirits were all woman, Bowen," Udonna answered. "The Spirits had to be gentle, benign, and passionate, but also strong in their will and loyal to the Mystic Mother. They had to be quick and nimble and careful, for the Spirits, just like anyone else, were not loved by all the universe's creatures. If they came upon hostile land, or encountered evil creatures, they had to be crafty and agile. Before the Leader's betrayal, the Spirits were completely and utterly dedicated to their missions, and even in lands of oppression and violence against them, they carried out their assignments. It was dishonorable, practically a sin, to return without having carried out the Mystic Mother's orders."

"You know so much about them," Chip started, "but what do they look like? The book just has that hooded figure."

"No one except the Mystic Mother and Kyrag have seen a Spirit's true form," said Udonna. "The legend says, however, that they're the most beautiful creatures to have ever have touched the earth. They were created in all of the Mystic Mother's goodness and beauty."

"How do they do it?" Vida asked. "Bring someback back to life."

"I don't know," said Udonna truthfully. "Their magic is their own. Their ways are secret."

There was silence for a moment as the four Rangers let everything sink into their brains. Vida massaged her temple.

"It's just all so... _surreal_," said Vida.

Xander made a snorting sound. "We've faced evil monsters, disgusting creatures, and very pissed off giant kings for all of a year, and _this _is the most surreal thing that's happened?"

"Well, I don't recall any of them being able to bring someone back to life," Vida countered. "This is different than turning people into stone, or vampires, or whatever the heck else monsters have turned the people of Briarwood into in the past year. This is life or death for Maddie; it's the only choice we have to turn to."

"It seems you're undoubtedly correct on that, Vida," said Daggeron. "If there's any way of bringing Maddie back, even the slightest, most unconventional chance, we have to take it. There isn't another way. We've searched high and low, through book after book and all the dimensions known to us. We don't have anything else to go on. I think it goes without saying that the Spirit is our only option. If we don't take this chance, there's nothing else we can do."

"I agree, old friend," Leanbow consented. "If this is it, we have to try- for all of our sakes."

"You make it sound like we have to fight the Spirit," said Chip.

"Not fight it, no," said Daggeron. "But chase it, well, that's another story."

_Confusion._

"What do you mean 'chase it'?" Xander asked carefully.

"You recall how the Singing Spirits haven't been seen in a very long time," said Udonna. "How they stayed away in their own dimension, fading through myth and time, abandoning their duties."

"Yes..." said Vida slowly.

"That was true for the most part," said Udonna. "There were some, however, who broke the Mystic Mother's laws."

The Ranger's jaws dropped again in shock.

"_What?!_" Chip exclaimed frantically. "But you- but you said they weren't seen _at all _for _hundreds of years!"_

"Not strictly speaking, no," said Udonna calmly. "There were rumours, however, of some who had escaped the Mystic's Mother's bonds, and were working in secret on the earth."

"But you said _completely!_" Chip went on, worked up. "You said that they stayed away _completely!_ And now you're saying there were still some out there?!"

"Chip," said Leanbow over the boy. "Please, calm yourself."

"But Leanbow-"

"Chip," Leanbow said again, louder. "Let Udonna explain."

Chip finally quieted, looking fidgety.

"I should have made myself more clear, Chip, I am sorry for that," said Udonna. "I meant that they were not _publicly _known for all that time. There were speculations however – stories, rumours, accounts by people who claimed that they had been visited by a Singing Spirit at least three centuries after the last Spirit sighting. This was some time after the War, and the Spirits had already become figments of imagination and tall tales, so no one really believed that any of these stories were actually true. Those who claimed to have seen them had more than just a claim, though. Their stories had details and actual facts; however, even so, they were disregarded by others. Since so little people seemed to have seen or experienced the work of a Spirit, the things they said were long forgotten, and the stories became just legends, as I said, with no one the wiser."

"And to the wise?" Xander asked.

"Oh, they spread their stories," said Daggeron. "They said they'd seen Spirits in the woods, or the fields, or the darkest corners of their homes, still and silent, _waiting_. Before the War, the Spirits hadn't waited on those they were healing; they had taken action immediately, gone to the bedside of the deceased and weaved their souls back like patches over a great hole. However, those few, the Spirits who worked in secret, had changed, and now they waited."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Rules may have loopholes, Bowen, but you must realize that all transgressions, good and bad, come with their own ambiguities," said Leanbow. "The Spirits who escaped and managed to return to the human realm had every right to work their ways, yes, but only if they were truly and wholly loved."

"But how do you prove that?" Vida asked curiously. "Anyone could just as well lie!"

"Right again, my lady," Daggeron continued. "When a Spirit came to your door, it wasn't a mercy; it was a challenge. Those who received a call from a Spirit had one, and only one, chance to save their loved ones, by chasing down the Spirits in a wild race for the dead one's soul. A quest of sorts."

"And what exactly did _that _achieve?" Xander asked, eyebrow raised.

"The chase was based on morality and love, Xander," said Udonna, "and therefore only those most pure of heart could ever catch the Spirits. The loved ones of the departed had an hour to pursue the Spirit. Those who weren't pure enough had no chance of ever catching the Spirit, nor saving the dead one's spirit. Those who fell pure of heart had a real chance of catching and retrieving the soul from the Spirit."

"A _chance_?" Chip asked.

"There was never a guarantee that the one giving chase would ever catch the Spirit," Udonna went on. "A great chance, unquestionably, but, regretfully, never a guaranteed success. Even the best of people had restrictions."

"So what you're saying," said Nick carefully, "is that the only chance of saving Maddie is for us to chase down the Spirit through the entiretyof the forest, and if we don't find it before the hour is up, we lose Maddie forever?"

Udonna smiled sadly, no mirth or happiness in her face. "It seems so," she said softly.

Another long, tense silence fell between all of them, but this time even the comforting hum of Rootcore's age-old magic couldn't console the indubitable strain hovering over the occupants. The Rangers all looked, and felt, crestfallen and stricken. How could such a tedious task be done in just a single hour? In all of Briarwood's forest, how could they find the one spark that would bring back their lost? The dauntless quest fell like heavy burdens on their backs, physically holding them, restricting their courage, their last shreds of hope. The challenge was... was nearly _impossible. _And if they failed – if they failed, there was nothing left. Maddie would be lost forever, and nothing, _nothing,_ would be able to change that then.

_What are we going to do?_

Another moment of silence, and then Nick sighed, and then he looked up at them, at his teammates and cousin and parents, and with grim, grim determination, spoke:

"Then we'd better get started."

**I'm sorry it's a bit short :P I didn't want to run over into the actual chase yet – I'm saving that for the upcoming chapter. **

**I'm also really sorry for the long wait :P I just finished four simultaneously running projects for school xP Ugh. I must have SOMETHING wrong with me for taking on as many advanced classes as I could all at once. GOD NO DON'T DO IT. Thankfully, school only has a week left, and I'll get some more time for my writing! :) Excitement!**

**Please remember to review!**


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